Bat, Dolphins Share Genetic Evolution

Bats and dolphins both use echolocation—emitting sounds and listening for echoes to help locate prey—and both went through similar evolutionary changes to develop it, scientists say in a new study. They found that the two species, while evolving independently, underwent many of the same genetic and physical changes, with natural selection strongly preferring animals with more highly developed echolocation abilities. Overall, there were 200 genomic regions where dolphins and bats had similar genetic inventions.